Stitch X For Murder

Stitches In Crime #5

by A.C.F. Bookens

Old Douglas Fir timbers bring good money, but maybe not as much as keeping quiet about the story of a murder.

Paisley Sutton hates to see an old barn falling down, so when she has a chance to take in a crew of friends to salvage timbers, she goes in with gusto. But when they find the bones from a decades-old murder, Paisley begins to wonder if maybe some things should just be let go to ruins. Maybe some secrets need to stay buried.

If Paisley decides to salvage more than just wood and reveal the murderer, will she be the next body buried in a barn?

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Family

176 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 28, 2021

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is not afraid to tackle difficult subjects. This mystery is no exception. Paisley and her friends are out to find the truth even if it is hard for those closest to her.
The old mystery and solution make a whole lot of sense. There are plenty of suspects and it ends up with a satisfying resolution. The newer mystery is harder to figure out. I liked that one less than the older mystery.
Santiago and Paisley’s relationship is moving along well. Mika’s love life is looking up. And I really liked the insight we get into Paisley’s dad and stepmom’s relationship. I think the relationships really make this book in the series stand out.

[A.C.F. Bookens]

I had such a blast writing this book. I love exploring the features of where I live here in Virginia, and the barn featured in this book is no exception. While there hasn't been - at least that I know of - a body found in a barn here, it's a thrill to see the two octagonal barns in this area every time now.

I hope you'll pick up your copy wherever you buy books.

Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B095TZHFC8

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Smashwords - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

[Lola · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy and voluntarily reviewed it.

I really like this series and when I was in the mood for a cozy mystery I happily picked up this book. Stitch X for Murder is the fifth book in this series and follows Paisley as she solves another mystery. I like how these mysteries often have a tie with history or the past in some way and also current day implications or people who are affected by it.

While on a salvage job Paisley and her friends stumble upon another dead body. This mystery seemed pretty straightforward at the start, but then got more complicated. It was interesting to see the direction it went into. Although the mystery didn't grip me as much as some of the other books, it also didn't help that I got sick while I was reading this and my head had trouble following along sometimes.

I like reading about Paisley and the people surrounding her. She has a great group of people around her who are always willing to help. She also has a great relationship with the sheriff Santiago. Her son, her dad and best friend Mika make plenty of appearances as well as other characters she knows. I like the cozy feel of this series and they way these characters help eahc other out. It also was fun to read about Paisley preparing for her shop opening in this book.

To summarize: another great book in this cozy mystery series. I enjoyed this one and the cozy vibe of this book. The mystery seemed pretty straightforward at first, but then got more complicated. The mystery gripped me a bit less than some others, but that's partly due to getting sick while reading this. I like reading about Paisley, how she investigates the mystery, but also her daily life. She has a great group of friends around her who are there for her.

[Shelly Mendenhall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paisley Sutton has done it again. 75 years after the war, the body of a draft dodging man is found. Four men, separate men all seemed to be implicated in the deceased murder. But who is the actual guilty party? And what was the motive for murder? Further, someone is intent that Paisley not uncover the mystery. But why would this person want to let the truth stay hidden?

ACF has quickly become one of my favorite authors. Her stories with character Paisley Sutton, a single mom with a three year old son and career as an architectural historian/restorationist seems to find her always in the middle of unknown murder mysteries. Couple that with her boyfriend Santiago, who is a policeman and you have a constant case of Who Dun It and why?

Bravo ACF on another well written story!

[Jemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved, loved, loved this book! I am really enjoying how Paisley and her loved ones are developing with every book! The end was not what I was expecting and I did not think it was who the “baddie” was! Well done Andrea!! On to book six…

[Connie P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

While dismantling her latest acquisition, an old circular barn, Paisley and her crew unearth a body, or at least the skeleton of a body.  Paisley finds out from the owner, Summer, that her father is one of the men who warned her not to disturb the site because she wouldn't like what was found.  When Paisley confronts her father for the truth, he admits that he is involved.  He tells Paisley and her boyfriend, the sheriff, what happened back in the early 1940s when he was just a young boy.  Pearl Harbor had been attacked, we were at war and people were mourning the deaths of their loved ones.  Men who could serve but refused to were looked at as cowards, like the man whose body was found.  He was murdered for being a coward...but was that the real reason, or just a coverup? I really enjoyed this book.  Because it was an ARC, there were errors that I knew would be edited out, such as a couple snafus regarding names, etc., (and I couldn't quite figure out why Summer all of a sudden was giving Dom the cold shoulder), so I wasn't overly concerned.  I have always appreciated the descriptions of the landscape in these books; the author really seems to love the beauty of her home state.  I also love the warm and loving relationships Paisley has with her parents, friends and neighbors.  She tries hard to see the best in everyone.  And she's such a good mother to a little dynamo.  I'm happy to see from the first book to this one that both Paisley and her best friend, Mika, are getting more successful in their businesses; it's good to see these strong women succeeding while doing the jobs they love.  The descriptions of Mika's knitwear she's making to sell at Paisley's new store makes me wish I could buy something myself.  They sound gorgeous.  I was given an ARC but I am writing this review because I sincerely like all of this author's writings.  I always look forward to more.  

[Jenn Shanks Crouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good mystery, and the plotline of Stitch X For Murder hooked me into listening despite being book five in a series I had never heard of prior to this. However, I can assure you, having gobbled this up like an ice cream sundae on a summer evening, that I will be returning to the beginning and continuing through all ten books presently in this series. ACF Bookens sets several precedents for me as a reader and I am all about it. First and foremost, it is very hard for a well-established series to walk that line of gently recapping former events or character arcs - too much info and you turn off established readers; too little info and a new reader is lost to the pertinence of certain events or characters. This series struck the perfect balance and I didn't feel I missed a thing. The other crazy item of note: the story setting felt hauntingly familiar, so much so that I figured out it is literally set one county away from where I live. Spooky, right?

Stitch X For Murder begins with Paisley Sutton and her crew tearing down an old barn. While collecting small items for her new shop, they unearth a skeleton, kicking off a search for answers with Paisley's boyfriend, Sherriff Santiago. The plot thickens when Paisley learns that the remains belong to a reputed war dodger from 1940s. Paisley's father and several of his friends appear to know more than they are letting on. Through the course of the investigation, the body count rises and even Paisley and her son Sam become targets. Paisley and Santiago will have to dredge up traumas from the past to solve the crimes and regain safety and peace in their bucolic town.

ACF Bookens writes with confidence and flair. She creates characters that live and breathe. You can't help but adore Paisley's relationships: with her parents, her best friend Mika, her boyfriend Santiago, and her son Sawyer Her descriptions of the physical area are so colorful and detailed. I can vouch that, despite Octonia being a fictitious town, it is in a very real place and is exactly as she describes. And every scene with Mika and her knitting made me stare forlornly at the basket of fibers in my office waiting for me to pick needles back up and return to my work in progress.

Aven Shore narrates with pitch-perfect aplomb. She manages to create unique voices for each character and keeps the story moving at an excellent pace. Having listened to her in other books, I had high hopes and was not disappointed.

[Westveil Books]

I was granted complimentary audiobook access to Stitch X for Murder by A.C.F. Bookens as part of my participation in a blog tour for this title with Audiobookworm Promotions. Thank you to all involved in affording me this opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

When Paisley Sutton decides to put a decaying old barn to better use she stumbles across a long-deceased body and with it the open secret of a not-so-forgotten murder that just about everyone in town besides Paisley already knows about. What's up with that? Who dunnit?

This is such an interesting plot line that I honestly haven't seen done in cozy mystery novels before, though it does seem like a season 5+ sort of episode idea for a crime procedural series. Maybe that's why I liked it so much! This is the kind of odd little mystery that crops up while poor Dr. Reid has become addicted to drugs and the rookie hopeful from the FBI training program accidentally offers herself up to the neighbourhood killer.

I'm a newcomer to this series, so I do want to say it is completely accessible as a starting point. I'm sure there are fun little details about recurrent characters and such that might have landed differently if I'd read the previous four books first, but I didn't feel like I was missing anything vital to the story nor did I feel like I didn't get to know our protagonist.

I know (and love) that cozy mystery is much more about the whole picture snapshot of what's going on in the protagonist's life at the time the plot is taking place, not a deeply focussed thriller about just the main plot, but my one nit-pick about this book is that sometimes I forgot I was reading a mystery at all. Sometimes this felt like the rare "women's fiction" that isn't just a romance novel with a girl power message. It was fun all the way through, I loved spending time with Paisley and her circle, but sometimes I forgot what we were here to do.

[dnsyl57 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paisley Sutton and friends are taking down an old barn and doing as much salvage as they can from the old structure. While doing a walk through of the grounds after, they discover an old privy hole - long since abandoned. As they dig deeper, they discover more than just old bottles - they also find the bones of human body. A knife with dried blood is also found. Who could the victim be and how did the body end up in such an undignified burial? Paisley tries to leave it to Santiago and his officers but things get VERY complicated when she starts to learn more about the people who may have been there at the time.

An interesting take on the discovery of skeletal remains. Things were different back when the person was killed but after decades of silence, long held secrets are still hard to reveal. Good intentions or ulterior motives - especially after another death. There are of course some lighter moments with Paisley's son Sawyer and her romance with Santiago. My only real issue with the book was a couple of minor typos and a couple of other errors (one with a reference to the year the person died and the other with who was in Paisley's kitchen at a certain time). None of these were major but should have easily been caught with a more thorough proof reading.

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paisley cannot do anything without a body popping up from time to time. That’s probably why it’s a good thing the local sheriff knows her so well because the only other people who have that many dead bodies around them or serial killers. This time Paisley is refurbishing wood from an old barn in in the out house they found the skeleton of the little boy. She gets her first lead from her daddy and for the first time in her life she is scared of Mr. Watson the nice gentleman who used to hand out gum to the children she’s never seen such a mean look on his face before but he isn’t the only one not happy about her investigation… Another reason it’s good her boyfriend is the local sheriff. This book is so good I have never listen to an audio version of the stitch M cozy murder mysteries but I definitely want to listen to more in the future. I thought the narrator was brilliant and thought she had the perfect voice for Paisley. There is a lot to love when it comes to these books and we put to audio there’s even more. I received this book because I am an audio empire reviewer was given this code in exchange for an honest review. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review. gg

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would probably give it a 3.75. I enjoy ACF Bookens' books including the ones before this one. I like the characters, the atmosphere, the fact that people are so supportive of each other. I like the history. But in this book I struggled some. I thought that the mystery about Leo's death was interesting and over time became a bit obvious. But I could not understand why so little attention was paid to the other murder. And when the person who did it was discovered it would appear that her motive for going after Paisley and Sawyer had vanished when the information about Leo's murder came to light. Perhaps I missed something - why did she keep going after them? Perhaps it was because she feared they would still be implicated in the cover up, which didn't happen. And I really love how great a supportive community Paisley has, but find it amazing that everyone she asks for help is usually available and happy to do it. I would think that some of those people would be busy at times. And should Sawyer really be riding around on construction equipment? OK - that might all be picky, but sometimes it got in the way as I pictured what was going on. But again, otherwise, I like how Bookens tells stories.

[Michele Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paisley and her friend Mika, along with the rest of her family and friends are dismantling an old barn. They are also searching the barn floor and surrounding area for anything left behind. Mika is clearing an old privy and discovers a skull along with the remaining bones. Santiago, the sheriff and Paisley's male friend is present and he calls for the corner and his deputies. The body has ultimately been there for quite a while so no one is sure who it might be or what might have happened. There are several people who have information, but are all sticking to their stories, including Paisley's father. Paisley is also opening her own salvage store and she and her friends are working on it as well as trying to find out about the skeleton. They are talking to the older men who may have been the ones who know who it is and what happened. Some of the younger generation are upset with the searching and one of them is killed. Who is killing to prevent them from finding out who killed the man in the privy?

I am voluntarily reviewing this book after receiving it free from the author.

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book with all the action and suspense surrounding the mystery of whose skull Mika found.

Paisley is a strong character who is not afraid to stand up for herself and her friends while also protecting her son Sawyer. She is not afraid to work hard and shows it over and over again while also setting up her new business. Paisley and Santiago are a good match who work well together along with her good friends who don’t hesitate to help her out when needed.

A web of mystery surrounds who the dead body is and who killed him. This leads to trouble with those who are trying to stop Paisley in her quest to find the killer. There are several people who may have been involved and Paisley makes it her goal to determine who that is.

This story has a a great plot and interesting characters. I look forward to the next book in this series.

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stitch X for Murder is book 5 in the Stitches in Crime series by ACF Bookens.

Paisley is getting ready to open her shop as well as a salvage project. During the salvage operation, along with some beautiful wood and old bottles, human bones are found.

This was very interesting because of the people that were potentially involved and it had Paisley questioning what she thought she knew about family and friends. I really enjoy the relationship between Paisley and Santiago. The way the characters are there for each other is heartwarming. And fans of the St. Marin’s series are in for a treat.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Trick Wiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic story in this series,book 8..these are for me getting harder to solve it's really has made me think..follow the original crew and you help them discover what's in the barn..you have a little bit of it all in this story. Love,murder,mystery friendships and kids..I have enjoyed this series it goes more into the personal lives of the people you come to know through this series..I received this book to read before it was published and I enjoy reading and doing reviews on this series..you can read them on their own if you can't get your hands on the first book to the 6th,it will catch you up on the main characters so you don't get lost...

[Javon50 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Getting ready to open her first shop in Octania, Paisley Sutten is excited that her new architectural salvage business is a success. Successful enough to open a real store. At the most recently salvage location, Paisley’s best friend Mika is unfortunate enough to find a skull. With boyfriend the sheriff also helping on this day, this soon becomes an investigation. I am enjoying these stories and recommend this series. This is my honest, voluntary review of an advanced reader copy of this book.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back with Paisley, her Son Sawyer, boyfriend Santiago and the rest of the regular cast. This time, in salvaging an old barn, a body is discovered and Paisley's Dad knows something about it.

This is a great cozy mystery series by the very talented author ACF Bookens, who also wrote the St Marins Cozy Mystery series, which is equally as good as this one.

I love reading these books and pre order the next release as soon as I can.

Best read in order of publication to preserve continuity of the characters and long term storyline.

[Jocelyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fifth book in the Stitches In Crime Series, a Cozy Mystery. Paisley and Santiago's adventure continues in this entertaining installment. They are both amazing characters. The supporting characters are great. I liked the mystery, the secrets, and the twists and turns. Aven Shore did a fantastic job bringing this story to life. Looking forward to more in the series. I received this audiobook at no-cost from Audiobook Empire. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

[Carolyn Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded to 3. The storyline wasn't bad, but continuity errors really bother me. This is set in North Carolina, so nighttime temperatures should not be in the 50s in August, which it has to be late August/very early September if Paisley's store is opening Labor Day weekend. Somehow she gets places with her car after driving to place A and someone then driving her to place B and all of a sudden she's driving to place C. And I think there were some name switches at the end. It's not enough to keep me from reading the next book, but I hope the next one has been edited a little better.

[Merrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this wonderful book. Great characters, old and new, pulled me into the story and the excellent plot kept me turning pages until well after midnight. The subject matter is sensitively handled and definitely makes this a book worth reading.

I voluntarily read an Advance Reader Copy of this terrific book and can definitely recommend it to anyone who loves good storytelling. I'm so glad I decided to add it to my own library!

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great cozy mystery

This series 'Stitches in Crime' just keeps getting better. The plot of this is exceptionally good with plenty of adventure. However, the author somehow manages to throw in very thought provoking lines. Without giving away any information, there are at least two paragraphs that made me think about today's current status. Hence lots to talk about if read by a book club. Enjoy

[Amie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story itself is great! The main character Paisley has a son named Sawyer; often they shorten his name to Saw. Paisley also works with a character named Saul. Often all 3 are being used together which often makes one think that the other is being spoken about (especially difficult if you are listening to the book). It just makes it seem like the writer mixed up the characters. I'm sure this probably isn't a problem if you are reading the actual book.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the new land owner being warned not to take down the old barn on her land she hires salvager Paisley and her crew to demolish it. Of course there’s a reason the locals wanted the barn left alone. This is a well written small town mystery with likable characters and a nice mix of both current and historical events.

[David Berg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free advance review copy of this book and am voluntarily providing my honest review. Bookens has another hit with “Stitch X for Murder”. Paisley has a salvage job at an old barn where these is a “privy” hole. Mica goes into the hole and starts handing up a lot of fun finds, bur then she finds something that is not so much fun. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it.

[Avis Witter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read from Ms.Bookens. The series just gets better. Great story line with the usual wonderful characters that draw you in. Paisley is determined to get to the truth when she finds a body in the barn she is salvaging. Old sins cast long shadows and this time it involves people doing the wrong thing for the right reasons. Top rating for one of my favourite authors.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paisley has an unexpected find in a privy hole - and there might be a connection to her dad

what secrets might a small town band together to hide? are they criminal conspirators?

Sheriff Santiago and Paisley grow closer


Paisley learns more about the backstory for her father

sweet meets lethal

[Bonnie Theel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another very well written cozy mystery. Paisley was at another salvage site. Her best friend, Mika, and Saul with is crew were there. As they were moving things around, Mika found a skull. Everything had to be put on hold. There is a lot of action in this book. I highly recommend it.

I received a free ARC, and this is my honest opinion.

[Dwayne Keller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another skeleton is found in a barn being torn down. Paisley and her friends unearth the clues to figure out what happened in the past. And somebody doesn't want it found out as they try to stop Paisley and threaten her son's life. Will they solve the mystery before somebody else gets hurt? Join in and enjoy this cozy mystery.

[Retha Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good read!

Paisley's life and times are so interesting, unique, and also relatable for those of us who have the same interests (except finding all the dead people!) , so I hope Andi keeps writing the stitches series for many more volumes. Can't wait for more of the crossover storylines, eithet!

[Christmas Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A 70 year old murder has Paisley and Santiago joining forces with family and friends to find the killer. With so many "persons of interest," it's a dangerous crime to solve. And Paisley's new business has her finally seeing that light at the end of the tunnel. It's an exciting, whirlwind puzzle that Paisley will solve no matter what. Highly Recommended